Read Leonard Cohen’s Heartbreaking Last Letter to His Muse
Image by YouTube
By Thea Glassman November 11, 2016
Shortly after Leonard Cohen passed away last night, a heartbreaking letter penned by the singer began circulating around the internet.
The note was written to Marianne Ihlen, Cohen’s ex-girlfriend and the inspiration for his song “So Long Marianne,” who passed away from leukemia this past July.
It read:
Leonard Cohen’s recent letter to his dying muse, Marianne Ihlen, takes on a new poignancy with the sad news of his death. pic.twitter.com/dkRz8U4x3M
— Letters of Note (@LettersOfNote) November 11, 2016
The letter reached Ihlen the day before she died, and had a powerful impact on her.
“It gave her deep peace of mind that you knew her condition. And your blessing for the journey gave her extra strength,” her friend Jan Christian Mollestad wrote in a note back to the singer (pictured below).
And here is the beautiful reply sent to Leonard Cohen. pic.twitter.com/2AwRGwZQLe
— Letters of Note (@LettersOfNote) November 11, 2016
Cohen and Ihlen met in 1960 on the Greek island of Hydra, and the two lived together for much of the 1960’s.
When they broke up, Cohen said they both accepted it as the inevitable.
“Those relationships that were formed idealistically or sexually or romantically couldn’t survive the challenges that ordinary lives would confront them with,” Cohen told Norwegian Radio in 2005. “So none of those relationships survived, except in the sense that we honor them, and we recognize the nourishment of those experiences.”
Thea Glassman is an Associate Editor at the Forward. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theakglassman.
I’m personally matching all gifts to the Forward, up to $36,000. Can I match your gift now?
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
